Alvin Community College regents unanimously approved its annual property insurance coverage through Victory Insurance Agency, Inc. during a regular meeting on March 25.

Prior to approval, Victory representative David L. Hartsook, CPCU, presented two proposals to the board. After a review, regents selected a policy that provides for a windstorm and hail deductible of 1 percent of total insurance value per building, subject to a minimum of $25,000 per occurrence and a maximum of $44,240 per building per occurrence.

According to Hartsook, the total annual cost of the coverage through Victory will be $553,886, which is approximately $60,000 less than last year’s premium due to rate decreases.

“You had an enormous claim for us here, but in the overall insurance spectrum, Hurricane Ike, itself, was a small blip on the worldwide scale,” Hartsook stated. “Most of these companies that insure you, the six that are on here (proposal), insure property worldwide. After Hurricane Katrina, if you will recall, our property rates for the college’s property spiked – it went up dramatically. In one year, we had to go to the Texas Windstorm pool for windstorm (coverage) because no one would competitively write the property insurance.”

“Unfortunately, it happened to be the year we had Ike, but their rates increased dramatically after Hurricane Katrina in ‘06 and ‘07,” he added. “They got their reserves back up and in ‘08, ‘09 and now ‘10, their reserves are adequate and they’re out competing.”

During the President’s Report, Dr. Rodney Allbright presented before and after photographs regarding the progress and results of renovations throughout the campus needed as the result of damage caused by Hurricane Ike in September 2008.

“I’m putting together a report for the Texas Legislature to follow-up from the one we gave them originally in December of ‘08 to show them the progress we have made,” he said. “They haven’t asked for it, but I thought it might be better to show them what we have done, because we did it with our staff at the college, by the board approving them to be the general contractor.”

“I think it’s something the state, of the (funding) portion that they approved, can be proud of,” Allbright continued.

After viewing the images, several board members commented on the improvements of the campus over the past year.

“It was unfortunate what happened to the college with the hurricane and I know we’ve had to spend money and I know that you guys out here put so much personal time and effort into it, but when you take a deep breath and look at where it’s at now and how nice it is, and how much better it is, I mean, you just got to stand back and say, ‘Wow, this is great!,” Regent Karlis Ercums, III said. “Just walking through the campus and seeing the improvements, it just really, really looks nice. It just goes to show you how something good comes out of bad.”

“I don’t think we could have been ever able to fund all that out of the budget – no way, not even close; so, it was a blessing after the fact,” Regent Mike Pyburn added.

In other matters, the board also approved an interlocal agreement with Brazoria County to purchase goods and services.

According to Allbright, the Texas Government Code allows local governments to work together to obtain the best costs to benefit residents.

In preparation for the upcoming Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reaffirmation of accreditation, ACC Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography (DCVS) Department Chair Jessica Murphy made a presentation to the board regarding its program accreditation and the training, degree and certificate options, various careers for graduates and community volunteer opportunities available.

Murphy thanked the board, college district voters, and faculty and staff for the new facility in the Science/Health Science Building.

“It is truly phenomenal,” Murphy stated. “Every day that I walk in, I have to pinch myself, again, because I can’t believe it’s real and that it’s there.”

“We had a good program before, but now it’s even stronger, it’s even better and it’s something to be so proud of,” she continued.

According to Murphy, the ACC DCVS program was the first of its kind in the state.

“We’re an innovator in this field, here at Alvin, because before I started the program there was nothing like it in the State of Texas,” she expressed. “We were the first program to submit for approval for echocardiography and vascular sonography. We were the first program in the State of Texas to apply for approval for pediatric echocardiography and we were the first accredited vascular program in Texas.”

“We’ve been around for a long time and really have been leading the field,” Murphy added.

“I really believe that we probably have one of the best programs in the entire United States,” ACC Provost and Dean of Instruction Dr. John Bethscheider, who oversees technical programs at the college, told regents.

For the next approximately 9 months, presentations will be made to regents that will cover the programs and services available at ACC. Information from these presentations will be included in the application for reaffirmation due next March.